Second Chances
by liz1967
Summary: Agent David Rossi is tapped to profile a former National Security Advisor, but he is for the shock of his life when he meets her. Will he be able to put aside his personal feelings and proceed with the task at hand?
1. Chapter 1

**Ok so this is my first Criminal Minds/24 crossover so reviews and suggestions welcome. Sorry if I get some of the details wrong, but it's fanfiction :)**

It had been four months since Erin Strauss had died and David Rossi was still struggling to cope with the loss. They had been able to have a little over a year of happiness together before it all came shattering to a tragic end when she was killed while trying to capture the unsub John Curtis, otherwise known as the Replicator. Although the members of the BAU team and his superiors had been supportive during this extraordinarily painful time in his life Rossi still had his moments of feeling completely devastated and alone. She was gone and no amount of time would ever take away the pain. Rossi had been sitting in his office going over case files when the new Section Chief Mateo Cruz poked his head in the door.

"Agent Rossi, could I have a word?" he asked

"Chief Cruz, nice to see you. Please come in and have a seat"

Cruz entered the room, closing the door behind him and quickly took a seat

"I'll come straight to the point" he began

"I assumed you would," replied Rossi with a hint of sarcasm

"I've had a request from Homeland Security of a delicate nature and I was wondering if you would be willing to help me out,"

"Shouldn't these types of requests go thru our unit chief? You know Agent Hotchner hates to be left out of the loop when it concerns a member of his team"

"In this case the assignment shouldn't take more than a day, maybe two at the most, so it shouldn't affect any of the cases you are currently working on."

"If I may be so bold, what exactly is the nature of this case, and why me?"

"The President is considering bringing back one of his former employees as one of his National Security Advisors, a position she has held before..."

"So what seems to be the problem?" I'm sure she was properly vetted the first time, so why bring in a profiler now?"

"It would appear that there is some question as to whether she can perform her duties..."

"What would give the administration that impression?"

"Her husband was killed during the attack on the White House by General Juma a few years ago..."

"So now they want to know if she's harboring any resentment that could get in the way of her objectivity," concluded Rossi as he leaned back in his chair.

"Something like that"

"So why me? Why not send in someone like Agent Jareau or Agent Blake? They are both more than qualified to handle this sort of task"

"To be perfectly honest, although neither one of them are strangers to pain and loss, you, and forgive me for saying this so tactlessly, You are the one who has most recently lost a loved one, and we feel that you, more so than the others, may be able to pick up on any hidden resentment she may have toward the administration"

"I see. So you want to exploit my pain and sense of loss to gage hers?"

"I knew that would come out wrong. Look, you are closer to her age, and some say that you have a way of putting people at ease so that they are more willing to open up and talk about their feelings..."

"Again, wouldn't Agent Blake or Agent Jareau be a better choice? They're women and you know how women are..."

"No, I would rather send you"

"Alright then. I see I am not going to win this battle. When do you want me to meet with..."

"Karen. Karen Hayes-Buchanan"

"If I'm not mistaken, Karen Hayes was agent with the Bureau before she left to head Homeland Security"

"So you know her?"

"No, I've only heard about her, I've never had the pleasure of meeting her"

"She is aware that you will be meeting with her, however, she will be under the impression that you are there to discuss new psychological tests that are under development to be administered to potential agents for the BAU and Homeland Security as well as the CTU"

"So you want me to profile her and lie to her?"

"Look. Her knowledge and expertise would be invaluable to the administration, as she has worked on both ends of the spectrum, so to speak. We're lucky she agreed to assist with the psych test evaluations, we just want you to feel her out on the possibility of returning"

"Alright. Anything else I should know about her?"

"After the death of her husband, she became rather reclusive, so it may take some of that famous charm I've heard so much about to get her talking, but I have all the confidence in you so this shouldn't be a problem"

"Right" replied Rossi "So when do I meet her?"

"I've arranged for you to meet her at her this afternoon"

"Where if I may ask?"

"She will meet you down at FBI headquarters, conference room 4B at 2:00 pm"

"Anything else in particular you want to know while I'm asking? Perhaps her shoe size or her favorite movie?" Rossi asked sarcastically

"Just stick to the main talking points Agent Rossi" replied Cruz in a less than amused tone as he rose to leave

"Gotcha, 2:00 pm conference room 4B"

"Let me know how it goes" replied Cruz as he left, brushing past Hotch in the process

"Was that Section Chief Cruz?" asked Hotch as he stepped into the office

"In the flesh" replied Rossi

"What did he want?"

"He wants my assistance in re-vetting a former National Security Advisor the President is considering bringing back on board"

"Wouldn't protocol dictate that he should go thru me for that type of request? Chief Strauss would have never circumvented the system to obtain the services of one of my Agents"

"No, she wouldn't have, not unless she had a really good reason, and then..."

"Well he isn't Chief Strauss is he?" replied Hotch quietly

"No...He isn't, and it's his department now, so I have a feeling this isn't the last decision of his we will be questioning, but then again, we questioned a lot of Erin's decisions at first if you recall, so we're just going to have to get used to him"

"Keep me appraised if you need any assistance" replied Hotch as he turned to leave

"At least this assignment should be fairly easy. She isn't an unsub, so I don't have to look for her, I just have to profile her without her knowing, which should prove to be interesting if she remembers any of her bureau training"

"Good luck with that"

Rossi turned his attention back to the files on his desk and began watching the clock. It was nearly lunch so he had just enough time to run home for a change of clothes and a quick bite before his meeting.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Chapter 2 Chapter 2

**Sorry this took so long, but I was busy trying to check my facts. I apologize in advance for any factual errors, and please feel free to correct me. :)**

Agent David Rossi sat in conference room 4B drumming his fingers on the table as he carefully watched the clock while he waited for Karen to arrive. While he was waiting, he was thinking of ways to profile her while not making her suspicious. He was aware that she had some FBI training as well as Counter Terrorism training so any usual tactics would be obvious. As the clock neared 2:00 pm he rose and began to pace, occasionally glancing back and forth between the door and the window. He heard the clicking of heels on the marble floor and assumed that it was her, but he was not prepared for what he saw when he turned around. When the clicking stopped, he turned and what he saw took his breath away and he began to feel his entire body tremble. He could not believe his eyes.

"It can't be," he whispered

"I'm sorry," replied Karen, slightly mystified by his statement

"You're..." he started to say but quickly found that he couldn't complete the sentence

"I'm Karen. Karen Hayes-Buchanan, I believe you are expecting me?"

"I...I..."

"Agent Rossi?" she said as she cocked her head to the side and started to move toward him "It is Agent Rossi isn't it?"

"Yes" he finally managed to say as he stared at her in disbelief

"Are you alright? Would you like to sit down?" she asked as she placed her belongings on the table and moved to stand beside him, gently placing her hand on his arm while guiding him to the nearest chair.

Rossi allowed her to assist him to the chair, never taking his eyes off her. She had the same amazing bluish green eyes as Erin, which was damned infuriating when he thought about it. He could never be exactly sure what color the really were because is all depended on what she was wearing at the time. And her hair, blonde like Erin's, even styled the same, pulled back into a twisty, bun thing, and the same worry lines across her forehead, even the tone of her voice, but it couldn't be...Erin was gone.

"Agent Rossi? Can I get you anything?" she asked snapping him out of his thoughts

"No, thank you I'm fine. Please forgive me. I'm not really sure what just happened, and please call me Dave" he replied, desperately trying to regain some sort of composure.

"Alright Dave. I must admit, I've had my fair share of stares, but I have never rendered anyone speechless before" she said with a slight laugh

"Again, my apologies. It's just that you look like someone I used to know, and..."

"No need for explanations." she said with a smile "Shall we get on with the business at hand?"

"Yes of course" he said as he rose and walked to the other end of the table to retrieve the files they were supposed to be discussing. "I don't know about you, but I could think of about half a dozen nicer places to go over these files than this conference room. Would you be opposed to relocating to somewhere a little less formal?"

"I have no objections" she replied as she picked up her things "Lead the way"

After a short ride, Dave and Karen found themselves seated at a corner table of a restaurant called Graffiato.

"I hope you like Italian?" said Dave, slightly blushing. It hadn't occurred to him to ask. Erin always loved it when he surprised her by taking her to a mystery destination for lunch or dinner.

"I love Italian as a matter of fact" she replied with what could be considered an almost smile, "It's been ages since I've been out to a restaurant, even if it is for business"

"Well, we don't have to consider this business...I mean, there is no set time limit on when they want these reviews so we could just sit and talk and if we have to we could meet tomorrow and go over the files" said Dave with a grin

"True. It's not as if they're paying us anyway"

When the waiter came to get their drink order Karen ordered a glass of red wine, which caused Dave some alarm at first before he remembered that this wasn't Erin sitting across from him and to his knowledge, Karen wasn't a recovering alcoholic. Dave quickly followed suit, ordering the same and then began staring at the table as if he was in deep thought.

"She must have been very special," Said Karen quietly as she played with the napkin on the table

"She was" he replied, the sadness evident in his voice

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long ago did it happen?" she asked in an empathetic tone

"Four months"

"I'm sorry for your loss"

"Thank you. I understand you lost your husband"

"Yes. He was killed three years ago during the attack by General Juma on the White House"

"I see that neither of us appears to be strangers to pain and loss"

"It would appear not"

"You were working as a National Security Advisor at the time weren't you?"

"No I had resigned by the time all of that happened"

"Do you miss it? Working for the President I mean?"

"Why Agent Rossi, if I didn't know better, I would say that you are profiling me," she said as she leaned back in her chair with a sly grin

"No, just trying to get better acquainted" he replied, secretly hoping that she would believe him

"Relax Dave. I'm just teasing. I know that if you really wanted to profile me, you wouldn't make it obvious" she said with a laugh

"And given you're background both with the Bureau and CTU, You would pick up on it in an instant" he replied with a smile

"I see you've read my file"

"I thought it would be a good idea to know who I was working with. Sometimes they send you off to work with someone who has absolutely no idea what you're talking about and a lot of time is wasted"

"And what did my file reveal?"

"That we can afford to spend a lot more time just talking rather than working"

Dave and Karen spent the next few hours talking about anything and everything from cases they had worked on in the "old" days to the current state of the country and everything in between. Karen didn't say much about her late husband Bill other than he worked for the CTU and that was where they met, while Dave was rather guarded about what he revealed about Erin, as she was his Section Chief at the time of her death. Neither of them had any idea how late it had gotten until Karen glanced down at her watch.

"Is that really the time?" she said sounding a bit surprised

Dave glanced down at his watch and noticed that it was nearly 9:30PM

"I had no idea it had gotten to be so late" he replied as he motioned to the waiter to bring the bill

"I guess we will be stretching this out until tomorrow" she said with a laugh as she gathered up her things

"Look, instead of me driving you back to Headquarters why don't I just take you home" he replied as they made their way out of the restaurant

"That would be nice except for one thing...my car"

"No problem. I can pick you in the morning and we can ride in together, discuss the files and then you can retrieve your car"

"That's really very nice of you, but you don't have to go to all that trouble..."

"It's no trouble, really" he replied as he opened the car door for her

"Alright, I'll make you a deal. You can take me home if you promise to let me cook lunch for you tomorrow, and then after we eat we can go over the files and then I'll ride back with you to get my car"

"It's a deal," he said with a grin as he shut the door

TO E CONTINUED...


	3. Chapter 3 Chapter 3

**So sorry this took so long. I had a massive schedule change at work that hasn't left much time for updating lately.**

Rossi was already at his desk when the rest of the BAU team arrived in the morning, a fact that did not go unnoticed, particularly by Agents Reid or Morgan.

"Hey Reid...what's up with Rossi?" asked Morgan under his breath so as not to be overheard

"No idea" replied Reid with a rather perplexed look on his face "And did you notice the look on his face? He almost seems giddy, which, by the way is not normally a word I would use to describe Agent Rossi...He is usually more..."

"Yeah I get it Reid, his whole demeanor is just plain odd," replied Morgan

"Well odd would imply that..."

"Hey guys, what's up with Rossi? He's hardly ever here before us" asked JJ as she glanced up at Rossi's office "Is he working on a case?"

"The last thing I heard was that Chief Cruz had him working on a special assignment" chimed in Agent Alex Blake as she sat down and pulled her chair in closer to the group

"Well whatever he's doing seems to be agreeing with him. I haven't seen him smile like that since before..."

"Shhhhh...Here he comes," said Morgan quietly while the others quickly turned and attempted to look busy

"Morning all" said Rossi as he descended the steps

"Morning Rossi...What brings you here so early?" asked JJ nonchalantly

"Oh just a few reports to sign off on" he replied as he looked suspiciously around the room "Did I interrupt something?" he asked while he tried to read their expressions

"Oh nothing special, just normal morning chit chat" replied Blake

"I see, well then carry on. I have an appointment this morning. If you need me just call" he said in an unusually cheery tone as he headed out the door, brushing past Agent Hotchner in the process "Morning Aaron"

Hotch took a few steps before he turned to watch Rossi disappear down the hall.

"What's up with him? And was I just imagining it or was he...humming?" asked Hotch in a rather puzzled tone

"We were hoping you could tell us," replied Morgan with pretty much the same puzzled expression on his face

"All I know is that he's working on a special assignment for Chief Cruz"

"Well whatever it is, it's nice to see him smiling again," replied JJ as she turned her attention to Hotch in anticipation of their next assignment.

Dave made his way to his car and started toward Karen's house. He kept reminding himself over and over "Karen not Erin...Karen not Erin." As he pulled into the driveway, he could hardly contain his excitement. He was going to get to spend the entire day with HER again, and even though he knew it wasn't his Erin, she was the next best thing. Karen was waiting for him when he arrived, and he could tell from the incredible aroma wafting thru the house that she was a good cook.

"Good morning Agent Rossi. I wasn't sure you would find the house since it was rather dark when you brought me home last night," she said with a smile as she ushered in inside

"The marvels of modern technology. The GPS does not care if it's day or night. It always finds its target or rather it's usually pretty darn close," he said with a laugh

Karen smiled as she closed the door and led the way to a little breakfast nook just off the kitchen.

"I hope this will be alright? Lunch has a few more minutes, so I thought we could either begin looking at these proposed tests of just talk until its ready," she said

"Whichever you prefer is fine with me," he replied as he found himself staring at her and practically hanging on her every word

"Forgive me for asking, but...Why do you keep staring at me? You did it a lot yesterday, and you're doing it again today," she said hesitantly

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was doing it. It's just that...well..."

He didn't quite know how to answer her without sounding like a complete idiot, and he certainly didn't want to offend her. In spite of her remarkable resemblance to Erin, he really did enjoy being with her.

"It's her...Erin isn't it?" she said quietly

"How do you know her name? I don't believe I told you yesterday?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't do a little research on you? After we talked yesterday, I thought I would see just what it is that you really do for the BAU and in the process, I found her picture. I guess they haven't had time to update their information..."

"But how did you know it was her I was speaking about yesterday?"

"Oh please, I saw the picture and even I have to admit that there is a strong resemblance. It didn't take a genius to figure it out, so I guess the real question here is who is profiling who...exactly?"

"I'm not sure I follow?" replied Dave with a rather puzzled look

"Let's be realistic. At first I was flattered that they would ask for my opinion given my history with the National Security Council, but let's be honest, they really don't need either of our opinions on these so called tests they want to administer, so that begs the question of what they really want to know..."

"Which is?' he asked, almost intrigued by her sense of deductive reasoning

"Well, the way I see it, they either want to know if I would be willing to come back to work for them, which by the way the answer is a definite NO, or they want to know how you are really coping with her loss, and is it effecting your productivity" she replied rather bluntly

"Are you always this suspicious?" he asked inquisitively

"It was my job to be suspicious, and honestly I'm surprised that you aren't, given what you do"

"To be honest, I did think it was a bit odd that they wanted me to do this..."

"This what? Look at their ideas or profile me?" she asked quietly

"Karen" he said as he reached across the table and took gently took hold of her hand "You are correct. I was asked to find out if you would be willing to entertain the idea of returning to public duty, but after I met you, I found that I like you. I like talking to you, I like being with you..."

"Because I remind you of her..."

"In part. Erin Strauss was an amazing, beautiful woman, I loved her very much, and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her and miss her terribly. That being said, I never thought I would ever meet anyone like her again, and then I met you, and I thought to myself how incredibly lucky I am to have been given the opportunity to meet two amazing, beautiful women who just happen to bear a rather striking resemblance to each other."

"I see," she said as she pulled her hand back "So you see me as some sort of replacement"

"No I don't see you as a replacement. Karen, I know that you are not her, there will never be another Erin, but I would like the chance to get to know YOU. I can see that this was a mistake. I should have just told you in the beginning. It was wrong to try to deceive you and I apologize," he said as he stood to leave

"David, wait, please don't go. I have a confession of my own," she said as she gently put her hand on his arm

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Chapter 4 Chapter 4

**Sorry, not only did it take a long time, but it's rather short. Chapter 5 will be longer, I promise :)**

"I knew Erin Strauss. We were at the academy together for a short time years ago, and you're right. She was amazing, smart and beautiful in a way I never was. Even though we looked enough alike to have been twins, if she was in the room, I may as well have not existed. There was just something about her...," she said as her voice trailed off

"Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?" he asked as he turned to face her

"Because you didn't mention her name, and...Because the Bureau really does want to know if her death has affected your productivity"

"And what do you think?"

"I think, if anything, it has strengthened your determination to never let another person know the pain you have experienced at the hands of someone like John Curtis," she said quietly

"Well it looks as if we've both been "played" for lack of a better word"

"It would appear so" she replied sadly

"I don't see why this should have to spoil our lunch," he said with a wink

"You still want to stay?"

"Why wouldn't I? Technically I lied to you first so it's your call, if you want me to stay then I would love to, but if you want me to go, then I understand"

"I would really like it if you would stay. It's been such a long time since I've had anyone to really talk to... or cook for"

"Enough said" he replied as he put his arm around her and led her back to the kitchen "But I insist that you let me help"

"I would like that" she replied leaning against him

The mood at lunch was considerably lighter as David and Karen began to open up a bit about Erin and Bill, a topic that up to this point had been veiled in mystery. Karen explained that although she loved Bill, the last year of their marriage had been strained and they spent most of their time apart, and David went on to explain the struggles that Erin had with alcohol and how things were just finally beginning to turn around for her. The conversation was full of tears of both joy and sadness as the both began to realize that they had far more in common than either of them expected.

"I suppose we should really actually look at these proposed tests" said David in a slightly sarcastic tone

"If you insist, but due to the dullness of the reading material, may I suggest we read them over a glass of wine? It may somehow make them a little more interesting" she replied with a laugh

David had a rather unusual expression on his face when it suddenly occurred to her that, given that Erin was a recovering alcoholic, He most likely wasn't used to having a glass of wine whenever the spirit moved him.

"I'm sorry David, I..."

"It's alright Karen. I'm just not used to being able to have a glass of wine with a beautiful woman in the middle of the day, or any other time for that matter. I am so used to avoiding alcohol, for Erin's sake, I guess I'm a little out of practice on the social niceties is all"

"How about we just settle for coffee?" she said as she rose from the sofa and headed toward the kitchen

David rose and followed her, noticing that she had suddenly become tense and uncomfortable.

"What is it Karen?" he asked as he came to stand behind her while she attempted to make coffee

"I always seem to do this..."

"What?"

"Say the wrong thing. I just don't think. I should have realized that..."

"Hey" he said softly as he reached around her and pulled her back against him "You didn't do anything wrong." he whispered in her ear "You're not Her, and I don't expect you to adapt to her lifestyle just because you happen to look like her"

"Thank you" she replied turning in his arms so that she was facing him

David found himself staring at her, again, and just as he was about to lean down and kiss her, his phone rang.

"Excuse Me," he said, sounding annoyed as he reluctantly released her and pulled out his phone. "I've got to take this"

"Of course" she replied as she attempted to compose herself

She could tell by the sudden change in his tone that it was the office, and the team needed him. By the time he hung up the phone, she had already collected her things and was waiting for him by the door, as he still had to take her back to retrieve her car.

"Sorry about that"

"It's alright, it comes with the territory" she replied with a half hearted laugh

"We caught a rather unusual case which may take some time to sort out, but as soon as it's over, I look forward to having that cup of coffee," he said as he took a step closer to her

"I think that could be arranged, after all, we still have to read the files," she said, blushing slightly

David grinned as he leaned over and pulled her to him as he gently kissed her. Karen wasn't entirely sure the kiss was a good idea, but she leaned in and found herself responding anyway, slipping her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

"We better get going" replied David as he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers for a moment before releasing her and opening the door.

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
